i have to agree and disagree with the previous review. i agree that the book makes perfect sense, but i do not think that the ending is unexpected at all for kawabata. i also don't think the book is an oddity for his work, either. it's very typical of his late work (cf. the old capital)...which is in stark contrast to something earlier like thousand cranes (which is not very descriptive or atmospheric). there are common themes and motives in early, middle, and late works (like an obsession with virginity and portrayal of age distant relationships). i thought it was good, but not his best. then again, i like the stuff he wrote in the early half of the 50s. ( )

Unlike the previous reviewer, I think BEAUTY AND SADNESS makes perfect sense - but it's a twisted, brutal ending, I will warn you of that much in advance. It's also atypical of Kawabata's oeuvre as a whole: the dark melodrama reminds me much more of Mishima's work. Worth a read. ( )

This is one of those representative Japanese works where you wonder if somebody tore out the last ten pages. This is not to say that I dislike it; it is one of my favorite Kawabata books. But Japanese literature is not very focused on endings where it all finally makes sense....